The Art of Playing

Blog three. I’m going to write about something that I think I’m pretty good at. Not like Oprah good, but pretty good. Curious what it is? Dun dun dunnnnnnnn… playing! I’m pretty good at playing with kids. Thankfully, because that’s what I do for a living! One of my greatest skills as a pediatric speech and language pathologist is playing. Seems simple right? It certainly can be but if you are making an effort to be intentional in targeting certain skills, then it can be more complicated than meets the eye. 

Play is EXTREMELY important for a child’s development. You caught that emphasis, right? Children begin to play at a very young age. It starts by exploring and putting things in their mouths (oh the germs!), throwing toys off the table (just so you have to pick them up 100-different times), and then it slowly changes and evolves to what you traditionally think as "playing." This is when it gets really good. It is during this time where children are learning how to engage with others and the objects in their world. It is through play, where kids really begin to develop and grow their imagination, cognitive skills (you know, that important stuff like problem solving and such), and their emotional awareness. This is when they begin to think about things other than themselves. They are starting to become less egocentric.  It’s pretty cool! Additionally, if that wasn’t enough, they also develop their fine motor skills!

So today, I wanted to share with you the things that go through my mind when I’m playing with my own kids, as well as the kids I work with at the clinic. 

<Side note> Since having Declan and Teigan, I have felt like I’ve had to up my “playing” game.  I mean, I’m competing against all those screens (iPads, TVs computers, phones, etc.), That. Are. Everywhere. My husband and I both agreed that our kids weren’t going to be allowed to watch any sort of screen till they were 2 years of age and after that, we were going to be very mindful of how much they watched. We were pretty diligent about it but weren't  perfect. Sounds kind of crazy, and maybe we were, but I would do it again in a heartbeat. Sure, life gets busy and you’re exhausted most of the time, but their immature little brains aren’t ready to take in that kind of stimulation yet. So, I’ll get off my soapbox and jump back to the importance of play. These young and immature brains (previously talked about) absorb and literally crave, human interaction, engagement and eye contact. There are studies done that show kid’s brains light up and fire away, when interacting face to face with their parents.  How cool is that?

So not only are we developing their imagination, physical, cognitive, and emotional skills but we are also building a solid and healthy relationship with our kids. That is why I love playing! So, with Declan, I spent many, I mean many hours on the floor playing transformers and with Teigan, we continue to still play "babies." There was a good solid year where I had to somehow figure out how to incorporate dolls and transformers into some play scheme that they both found interesting because they were both wanting to play with me. Now, that takes talent. You know it’s a wild day when the transformers get attacked by baby vomit. Yikes!

Here are my top 10 play suggestions, and things I think about when I’m playing with my kids, and the kids I see for therapy too.

1. Get on the floor- get down on their level and really engage with them.

2. Be authentic- try and really be present. Put your phones away and dedicate time to play.

3. Be meaningful- Create opportunities to practice certain skills. If your child is getting ready to go to their first dentist appointment, get out the pretend medical tools and play dentist. This will more than likely teach them what to expect and decrease any nerves they may be having.

4. Be silly- Kids need to see you enjoying them, laughing, and savoring these moments too. 

5. Encourage flexibility- At work especially, I push for flexibility. I change things up after we have done the same thing over and over again and try to expose them to new and different things.

6. Encourage problem solving- Create “problems” (The dinosaurs can’t find any food. What are we going to do?) that can be solved together.

7. Smile and be warm- Kids are extremely perceptive and can tell when you are being warm and genuine. 

8. Be stimulating and lure them in- Be so exciting and unpredictable in ways that the kids just can’t help but continue wanting to play with you more.

9. Use objects in different ways- I love using random objects and making them things that they are totally not expecting (that old plastic spoon can be a hair brush, a bubble blaster, or a magical wand.). Get creative.

10. Have fun- enough said!

Quick, close this and go play with your kids! And if you need ideas on how to target speech and language skills through play, check this out. Grab and Go Play Ideas